1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to optical devices and, more specifically, the present invention relates to output couplers.
2. Background Information
Copper wire electrical based interconnects are commonly used when connecting electrical devices over short distances because copper wire electrical based interconnects can be simpler, cheaper and reliable. However, as microprocessor clock frequencies continue to increase, bandwidth limitations for copper wire electrical interconnects on printed circuit boards (PCB) increase due to issues such as signal attenuation, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and crosstalk.
Lasers are well known devices that emit light through stimulated emission and produce coherent light beams with a frequency spectrum ranging from infrared to ultraviolet and may be used in a vast array of applications. In optical communications or networking applications, semiconductor lasers may be used to produce light or optical beams on which data or other information may be encoded and transmitted.